Whould it ever be appropriate to give a dog as a gift?
by admin on Saturday, September 12th, 2009 | 18 Comments
Is there any situation that it is OK to give a dog or an animal as a gift?
Should the supplies be given, and then have the person pick out the animal and pay for the animal? Or is even this too irresponsible?
I am not actually planning on doing this. Just wondering what people think is appropriate or not.
In my opinion, no… Pets are a long term lifestyle commitment, the type of decision a person has to make for themselves, not have imposed upon them because someone else decides they ’should’ love a pet.
No, unless you have discussed it with whoever you are giving it too, and they can afford it.
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first make sure that they want one, and yes u should buy most of the supplies, but not too mcuh so the person can pick out for their own animal, and also they should be able 2 afford it!! but if u figure this stuff out it is OK!!!
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yesss
if only they can take care off itt
i wouldd love too have a dogg as a giftt
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In my opinion, no… Pets are a long term lifestyle commitment, the type of decision a person has to make for themselves, not have imposed upon them because someone else decides they ’should’ love a pet.
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yeah on its birthday(the day you got it). you should never forget family!:D
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my heart
Only if the person who was being given the dog as a gift was involved with the decision of owning a dog and allowed to select the dog. I think giving a dog as a gift without the knowledge of the person to whom it is being given to would be inappropriate and irresponsible.
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The only occasion that I can think would it be appropriate, is if you are giving to YOUR child, knowing that in the end YOU are the owner and responsible for that animal. Do not assume that because someone says they "love animals" they actually want one.
An animal is not a toy, requires time and money (food, vet etc….)
You want give something interesting give one of those robots that follow commands, at least those can be stored away.
Giving someone an animal just out of the blue, is just asking for trouble, and that animal could easily end up in our already full shelters.
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only if you’ve discussed this with the person. dogs are a lot of work and responsibility and the person or family may not be prepared or willing to make the changes necessary to make it work. I don’t think parents should give a dog as a surprise gift either. It should only be done when both agree it is best for the family.
as to your 2nd half, again no, it is presumptuous and again puts pressure on someone who may not be ready.
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I bought Max for Valentines day for my fiance. We both had seen him at our local shelter and Teddy fell head over heels for him but he didn’t have the room at the time to take him in (we were living separately at the time).
I decided to surprise him with Max four days later.
I had made the arrangement that Max would live with me until we could afford a place of our own and he would buy what he needed (food, leads, etc).
Its ONLY appropriate to get a dog as a gift if both parties are ready for it and if you can handle the 10+ year commitment.
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I gave my husband his chihuahua for Valentine’s Day 3 yr ago. We talked about it and he knew it was coming and he wanted her and picked her out.
There are VERY few reasons a dog should be a gift and they should NEVER be a "surprise".
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This is a tricky question. There are some times when it is appropriate to give an animal as a gift…however I do not believe that it is ever appropriate to give a live animal as a surprise gift. Telling someone that you will pay the adoption or purchase price of a pet is technically giving an animal as a gift, but it is not forcing the animal on a person or choosing a pet for them. In that sense it is appropriate. Of course, this relies on having discussed whether or not that person really wants a pet and whether or not everyone living in the household is also in on the conversation on whether or not to get a new pet and what species/breed to get.
Giving supplies is a great ideas because then if the person decides after thinking it through that that kind of pet is not right for them or that the timing is not right they can just store the supplies or donate them to a shelter or someone they know who has that kind of pet.
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Sure, as long as both parties are aware of everything thats going on.
My dog was my 16th birthday present!
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Off the top of my head, I would say that it is generally not appropriate. If you have been to animal shelters or pet stores with this person and know that they really want a particular type of dog, then go for it. If not, then no, because this is a huge responsibility and would put the person in an awkward situation if they were given such a gift.
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Small animals maybe, Dogs and cats – never!. Owning a dog (or cat) is a huge responsibilty, and they live for a long time. Even if someone really wants a dog, and even knows what kind of dog they want – they should do it all for themselves. It is often said that you don’t choose the dog, the dog chooses you, and in my experience this is true. It might work out for the dog and the recipient, but if it doesn’t, where does that leave them? There are just too many abandonded dogs (and stressed out owners) to take that risk. I also think paying for the dog and insurance etc provides motivation for caring for it through the difficult times (and there are always plenty!).
I think parents buying pets for their kids is a different matter, as if the kid gets bored the parents will ensure the pet is looked after.
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In my opinion, the only time this is appropriate is under all of the following circumstances
1) it is for someone you know is suitable for the animal
2) it is for someone you know wants the dog (this seems obvious but who doesn’t say "oh i want one!" when they see a puppy.. this is very different from someone who is actually commited to owning one)
3) it is for someone either in your family, or for someone who is close to you. my boyfriend got me a puppy for my birthday in august, but we had been researching since february (6 months prior) about the breeds, shelters, and various aspects about owning an animal. in addition, he lives with me so he knew that he wasn’t unloading all the responsibility when he gave it to me.. it’s our dog, but he just happened to pay for it.
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well i wouldn’t because a lot of times people want to pick their own dog, or a least i know that i would want to.
About a year ago i actually gave my dad the cutest little rottweiler puppy and i ended up getting it because he didnt want it. so i will never give a puppy as a gift again.lol
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You know what, I started a whole scenario of when it would be ok, but I failed to convince even myself on this.
It would have been something like this:
Ginger is getting the dog. Fred is buying it for her (her husband). The breeder is a responsible breeder by common definitions.
Ginger & Fred already met the breeder, filled out the applications, said the kind of dog they want, has done extensive interviews with the breeder and been approved.
Fred tells Ginger that he’s not ready for a dog right now. In reality, he’s already got a deposit in and is working with the breeder to surprise Ginger.
Fred knows that the time is right, and so does Ginger, but wouldn’t she go against him because she wants everyone to be in agreement.
It’s weak, but a far-fetched option. . .
The reason it failed to convince me is that you never know if Ginger would have changed her mind about handling a puppy once seeing the them running around, smelling all the puppy poop, or getting her Jimmy Choos peed on; or if the pup that Fred picked (with the breeder’s help) just doesn’t like her.
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If you know that the person is in fact wanting a pet and is ready for one..
yes.. BUT.. I agree with the idea of getting supplies.. and then going with the person AFTER the holidays and let them select a pet themself.. they can be sure they are getting the one they want that way, and you also have to consider what’s best for the pet. Animals are stressed about going to new homes.. its not a good idea to bring one home during the holdiays when its such a stressful time.. its best to bring them in when the household is back to its "normal" routine.
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